I am a reporter and researcher focused on energy, political and economic issues in the Mediterranean and have spent much of the last fifteen years working and reporting from the region. Over the last several years, my work has focused on all facets of the energy sector, including investment, development and policy issues. I am a graduate of the University of Texas’ School of Journalism and New York University’s Center for European and Mediterranean Studies graduate program. https://twitter.com/coatschristophe

Morocco And The Political Potential Of Renewable Energy

Midway through a conversation with Saïd Mouline last week, the director of Morocco’s Agency for the Development of Renewable Energy, it became clear that building the region’s alternative capacity meant much more than just cleaner energy.

Faced with a dramatically different economic and political landscape than just a year ago, Mouline and the Moroccan government in Rabat have set out to not only establish themselves as green energy leaders in the Mediterranean, but possibly even use that new focus to shift the balance of influence in the region.

To be clear, the country’s initial embrace of renewable energy is rooted firmly in the country’s lopsided dependence on foreign energy. While sharing the North African coast with some of the continent’s largest oil and gas producers, Morocco is left to import 95 percent of its energy needs, putting it in a precarious situation where energy prices can, and have, skyrocketed overnight.

Starting a few years ago, the Moroccan government got serious about building the country’s renewable capacity to help meet domestic demand and tap into growing interest from Europe for new energy sources. Frustrated with space constraints and resource uncertainty, Europe had begun exploring the idea of tapping into North Africa’s solar and wind potential with proposals for sprawling projects meant to cushion EU demand and help countries reach 20 percent by 2020 renewable goals. In Morocco, this was followed by government energy efficiency campaigns and funding for renewable projects, setting a 42 percent renewable goal by 2020.

Anchored by a $9 billion solar plan announced in 2009, the country’s renewable path was meant to both establish the country as a green leader in North Africa and remove the threat of price fluctuations brought on by its dependence on imports. And until recently, that was limit of the country’s energy outlook. Hardly modest, but that was where it seemed to end.

However, as Rabat watched North Africa undergo the deep political and economic evolution of last year, Morocco’s renewable energy potential took on a new importance. With new governments in place in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, long-delayed partnerships in the region seemed suddenly possible. Proposed trading blocs that had sat in limbo for decades were brought up for discussion again. In late January, Algeria even welcomed their first official visitor from Rabat since 2003 with the arrival of Morocco’s foreign minister.

For energy purposes – both traditional and otherwise – an economically unified North Africa would give them a stronger hand to play when it came to producing and exporting energy to the European market. Planning and investment efforts could focus on local priorities, like domestic job creation and energy needs in Fez, not just Madrid. By offering up a more cohesive energy production effort in the Maghreb, energy actors like Mouline reasoned, the area could have more say about funding, revenue sharing and sustainability. The shift would, they hoped, give North Mediterranean energy consumers more of a stake in the South’s overall wellbeing, moving away from the long-standing focus on security and oil.

“By developing green energy, we are creating solutions for Europe – not just economic but social solutions for the future,” he told me last week. As recently as last year, oil and gas firms in the region came under fire from local governments and community leaders for a lack of attention for job training and support.

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard the sentiment. Earlier in the week, members of a project team at a Barcelona-based think tank focused on the future of renewable energy in the Mediterranean said the feeling was widespread. With new governments in place, they thought there was real potential for building new projects and funding agreements around North African priorities, not just EU sustainability goals and cheaper prices for Europe. Pitching projects from Tangiers to Cairo would need to start with meeting local needs and move out from there. Education, jobs, research and development for in-country workers and students would need to accompany any new projects.

Or at least, that’s what they are hoping will happen. In practice, that sort of influence through renewable energy could be a long way off. Will Pearson, an energy analyst at the Eurasia Group offered that the kind of development necessary to get the European market on board would first require dealing with issues of transport infrastructure and funding thanks to the economic restrictions in Europe, both of which are unlikely to be remedied in the near future.

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Thanks for the article. I agree that there are some really positive signs coming out of the region following the political unrest there and the Maghreb countries appear to be really keen to renew the confidence in the development of strong sustainable renewable energy markets as a way of moving countries forward. We are holding the Solar Maghreb meeting in Casablanca on 22-23 May, we’ve held the meeting for 3 years now and never before have we had Libyan government representatives attending the conference. This year however, the new Libyan Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy has been in touch and will be giving a presentation alongside REAOL and the Libyan Prime Ministry on how the country is planning on pushing forward plans. When so many other issues are being resolved in the country, its great to see renewable energy being placed as a high priority as a solution to problems.

Said Mouline’s ADEREEE are doing a great job in really generating momentum in Morocco alongside the efforts of MASEN. We interviewed MASEN last year as the shortlist of the first tender was being announced and so those who would be interested on hearing their viewpoint on the market can read the interview here: http://tinyurl.com/7vfwhly

Thanks for this interesting post Christopher. It is indeed interesting to see how the renewable market will play out following political changes but I think very positive to see that it is already something on government agendas and being discussed.

In May we will be holding the Solar Maghreb congress in Casablanca. One thing that I found particularly interesting is that the new Libyan Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energies got in touch and will be speaking at the congress alongside REAOL and the Libyan Prime Ministry. Whilst we have welcomed Moroccan and other Maghreb government representatives to the meeting before, we haven’t, until this year, seen a major push from the Libyan side in the 3 years we have been running the congress. Even with a number of pressing items on the agenda to get the country back on track its great to see how the Libyans are really viewing renewable energy as a way forward.

Perhaps it may well take a while to iron out issues but whilst countries such as Morocco continue to pave the way it’s great to see the new government players want to continue to help position their country as a key market for renewable investment. Work by ADEREEE to make sure that the renewable market is created in a sustainable manner rather than the boom and bust markets we have seen elsewhere is really important. We interviewed MASEN last year just as the shortlist for Morocco’s first large tender was being announced, the interview gives a really good overview of Moroccan’s action plans and can be read here if anyone would like to learn more. http://tinyurl.com/7vfwhly